Old Tappan beats Passaic Valley in girls soccer

Emily Crevani of Old Tappan, who scored the second goal of the game, gets through two Passiac Valley defenders.

OLD TAPPAN - The Old Tappan girls soccer team had positioned themselves for a first round home playoff game. Just when that game would be was anybody's guess.

After a week of waiting through delays they finally got on the pitch Nov. 5 against Passaic Valley.

"It was a tricky week for everybody," Golden Knights coach Tom Quinn said. "We had four practices and I think they were good because it got the kids away from everything for a little while each day."

Quinn's squad looked in good shape taking home a 4-0 victory over the Hornets.

The Golden Knights seized control of the game from the very early stages, dominating possession of the ball. Forward Raba Nassif, one of the county's premier scorers, had numerous chances in the opening few minutes but couldn't find the net.

Just about 10 minutes into the game Old Tappan scored two quick goals. Hannah LaFronz centered a ball that was easily redirected into the net by Amanda Maccaro, giving the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead. A moment later Kylie Keil sent a long ball to Emily Crevani. Crevani wheeled and fired a shot past the Hornets goalkeeper. That goal gave the Knights the comfortable, yet dangerous 2-0 lead.

"We were trying to get a third goal before the half," Quinn said.

GOOD DEFENSE

The Golden Knights weren't able to get that third goal because in the second half Passaic Valley began to assert more pressure but the Old Tappan defense never yielded a goal.

"They had a few chances, but these girls are very level headed," said Quinn.

Nassif's constant attacking finally paid off. She scored two goals in a four-minute stretch late in the second half. Her two goals put the game out of reach of the Hornets.

"Our middle played very well," said midfielder Olivia Li. "We did a good job of distributing the ball to our forwards."

Quinn also knows that the midfield was a big factor in the outcome. He was complimentary of everyone that contributed to the victory.

"I thought Hannah (LaFronz) Dana (Li) and Olivia (Li) did a good job in the middle," he said.

The midfielders know they are pushing the ball ahead to quality players who can finish as well as anyone they play. Nassif and Maccaro are always ready to pounce when the defense makes the slightest mistake.

"You don't often have two girls that can score like that and it's definitely a luxury," Quinn said. "It's a great group of kids; it was a nice win today."